


Away from Garreg Mach

by UnapologeticallyMeatwad



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Berniegard Week (Fire Emblem), F/F, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Post-War (Crimson Flower Route), no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnapologeticallyMeatwad/pseuds/UnapologeticallyMeatwad
Summary: It’s quiet in the Dining Hall; ever since the war ended it’s always been quiet in the Dining Hall. No one has much of anything to talk about, people are just basking in each other’s presence. For Edelgard, she is merely watching Bernadetta pick away at her peach sorbet in tiny bites.She’s so pretty, especially when she’s eating.Bernadetta catches Edelgard’s eyeline and frowns. “Is something wrong, Edelgard?”“No,” Edelgard almost whispers. “I was just thinking of how important you are to me.”Bernadetta gulps. “Oh.”Not quite the reaction Edelgard was hoping for, she hesitates and doubles down on that. She gently lifts the peach sorbet dish from the table, trying her best not to look directly at Bernadetta. “I… I have some work to do!”“Work, yeah,” Bernadetta dimly echoes. “See you for dinner tonight?”Edelgard looks back and smiles. “Of course.”
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28
Collections: Berniegard Week 2020





	Away from Garreg Mach

It’s quiet in the Dining Hall; ever since the war ended it’s always been quiet in the Dining Hall. No one has much of anything to talk about, people are just basking in each other’s presence. For Edelgard, she is merely watching Bernadetta pick away at her peach sorbet in tiny bites. 

She’s so pretty, especially when she’s eating.

Bernadetta catches Edelgard’s eyeline and frowns. “Is something wrong, Edelgard?”

“No,” Edelgard almost whispers. “I was just thinking of how important you are to me.”

Bernadetta gulps. “Oh.”

Not quite the reaction Edelgard was hoping for, she hesitates and doubles down on that. She gently lifts the peach sorbet dish from the table, trying her best not to look directly at Bernadetta. “I… I have some work to do!”

“Work, yeah,” Bernadetta dimly echoes. “See you for dinner tonight?”

Edelgard looks back and smiles. “Of course.”

The war has been over for nearly a moon and yet the Black Eagle Strike Force still lives at Garreg Mach. Though they all have some place to be, all have a life to lead without bloodshed, they stay huddled together. Even Hubert has twisted his lifestyle into needing him to be around the school more often.

Edelgard attempts to be Emperor from here, but her lapses in communication dramatically slow all political proceedings down, and it’s clear that politically, Fodlan needs to make serious strides _now_ or this war will be for naught. It becomes even more apparent when Edelgard finds herself stepping out of Seteth’s old office in a glazed over state. Red gloves to her eyes, she actually manages to bump into Hanneman.

“My goodness!” Hanneman blurts out, “You’re still here? Come on, Edelgard, get out of here!” He shoos her away to the staircase, and though as Emperor, she should not tolerate this, she permits it. She much prefers being treated as a student than as a revolutionary.

“It will take me some time to set preparations,” Edelgard says before starting down the staircase.

Hanneman is taken aback. “Oh — well, I — haha — ” he pinches the edge of his mustache. “ — I was being facetious, though I would like to clear out these halls to prepare for the next Academic year.”

Edelgard raises an eyebrow. “Garreg Mach is becoming a school again?”

Manuela pokes her head out her own door before striding into the hall. “Yes, dearie, didn’t you know? Ferdinand is helping us organize it. It’s a school for commoners now! Ah... _public education_ he called it.”

Edelgard frowns; Ferdinand should have run this by her first, but she supposes he was able to get his grand vision off the ground via the ever sneaky Hubert who happens to be dating him now. 

Ugh, that’s another problem with this post-war Fodlan; everyone is pairing up. Ferdinand and Hubert, Linhardt and Caspar, Dorothea and Petra, the Professor and her love for fishing… everyone except Edelgard and her Bernadetta.

Thank the Goddess Bernie hasn’t paired up with anyone, or rather, hm, well… it’d be _alrigh_ t if Bernadetta was to date someone, Edelgard supposes. But all the same, she, erm, likes that it’s just them two. Alone. And not dating anyone else.

“Is the Professor going to be joining you two?” Edelgard asks curiously. She never knows what that one is up to.

“She’s going to be the new Gatekeeper,” Mauela explains. “She’s been working on her impression of the last one, so we think she’ll do well.”

Edelgard raises an eyebrow. Only two professors? This hardly seems like a good idea. “Then who will be the third professor…”

“There’s been a problem,” a baritone drawls from down the hall. Edelgard turns to see Jeritza, thankfully not dressed in his usual death garb. He moves towards Edelgard soberly, eyes held on Hanneman. “I taught the students how to use the Darting Blow to gut their opponent before stabbing them in the throat.”

Edelgard scratches her head. “Students?”

Jeritza acknowledges her without looking. “Test subjects for my trial run,” and pivots back to Hanneman, “But I fear my presentation was too gorey.”

Hanneman crosses his arms sternly. “You _fear_ it was, or you _know_ it was?”

Jeritza shrugs. “I suppose I did not need to sew the blood packets into the dummy, but it felt necessary.” He bites his lip, concentrating hard. “Yes, definitely necessary. But in my lessons, the girl, Bernadetta, became frightened and ran off. I… I do not wish that for my students. How do I correct my actions?”

Manuela leans in and takes Jeritza’s hand. “We’ll help you work it out. Edelgard, would you be a dear and go talk to Bernadetta in the meantime?”

“Uh, y-yes,” Edelgard stutters, feeling very foolish being ordered around like an errand girl, especially in her Imperial gown and crown, but she supposes she’s allowed this role for herself. With a deep sigh, she heads off to the greenhouse, already knowing Bernadetta will surely be there. 

(That’s Bernie’s spot when she’s stressed, and as a result where all significant Bernie conversations happen.)

* * *

“Bernadetta,” Edelgard calls out the moment she sees Bernadetta’s violet hair. It’s damp in the greenhouse, the air is thick with all the water that’s fed the plants.

Before the war, Bernadetta would flinch and scream, and she still does with some of the other students. But never with Edelgard. It’s soothing for Edelgard to know she has gained that much of Bernadetta’s trust.

“Hi, Edelgard,” Bernadetta frowns. She also doesn’t call Edelgard _Her Majesty_ anymore. Well, that isn’t special. No one except Hubert calls her that (and Ferdinand when he wants something.)

But still, if it’s a positive for Bernadetta, unremarkable as it may be, Edelgard will always make the point to celebrate it. Clearly, she _likes_ Bernadetta.

“I’m told you were frightened by Jeritza’s presentation,” Edelgard says plainly, gently seating herself on the stone lip to one of the troughs. She pats the brick at her side and smiles.

Bernadetta, looking down at her feet, shuffles over and slips into the spot. “Yeah.”

“It was just blood packets though, was it not?” Edelgard asks.

“Yeah,” Bernadetta echoes.

“Did it… trigger a bad memory?”

Bernadetta shakes her head. She has triggers just like Edelgard, they know each other’s so they don’t accidentally hurt the other. It’s like their code. After Bernie got past her inferiority complex towards Edelgard, she started to see Edelgard exactly for who she was and it was… nice.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” Bernadetta sighs. 

Edelgard nods, not really sure what to tell the girl. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Bernadetta scratches her head. “I turned down the temporary leadership role you offered me for House Varley… I’m not _with_ anyone, so I can’t like, run off and get married. I kinda want to stay here, but I know I’m supposed to move on and try new things, but I don’t even know what to try.”

Bernadetta’s voice is so soft and high, and oddly slow. She panicked a lot more in her youth; they’ve all matured quite a bit. 

“I guess the only thing I can do is fight, right?” Bernadetta looks at Edelgard carefully. “I’m good at it, I guess, and um…”

Edelgard shakes her head with some finality and takes Bernadetta’s hand. “You don’t need to do that. Come with me, to Enbarr.”

A faint pink comes into Bernadetta’s cheeks, meaning she probably does like that idea. But quickly, she shakes it off, her uneven hair flapping around her. “No, you’re gonna ask me to be your royal painter and I don’t want to do that. You know I don’t like painting people…”

Edelgard dares to be bold, and gently takes Bernadetta’s chin by her finger. “...because of their eyes, you don’t like people staring at you.”

Bernadetta finds Edelgard’s eyes and turns away. “Something like that.”

“Do you like my eyes, Bernadetta?”

“Very much, Edelgard,” Bernadetta admits, hands on her thighs, scrunching up folds in her dress. 

“You don’t have to draw them,” Edelgard adds on, shifting closer to Bernadetta. “But… I want you to come to Enbarr with me, if you have nowhere else to go. I’m going to miss you very much otherwise.”

Bernadetta allows herself a little smile and takes Edelgard’s hand, squeezing it tight. “You want me to be your friend… or something more?”

Edelgard grins. She appreciates Bernadetta picking up on the tension, possibly sharing that tension with her. “Something more.”

Bernadetta leans in and doesn’t ask for permission, she knows enough about Edelgard that it’s okay. Her dry lips touch Edelgard’s and they sit there for a while, holding each other. Edelgard keeps both hands on Bernadetta’s shoulders, possibly possessively, thankful that this is working out between them. It’ll make the transition less hard.

It ends with Bernadetta plowing both hands into her lap, with her head leaning against Edelgard’s padded shoulder. “What’ll I do in Enbarr?”

Edelgard twists an arm around Bernadetta’s back, elbow nudging the thick stem to one of those venus fly traps Bernadetta started growing a few years back. Her fingers play with the girl’s hair. “We can spend time with each other, maybe go for walks in nature, you’ll need to come with me when I travel to the other territories.”

“That sounds nice,” Bernadetta hums, legs kicking out. She yawns.

“Mm,” Edelgard mutters in agreement, eyes flitting shut.

The two girls awake a few hours later when it’s dark. An ominous figure kneels before them, scythe held between his spiked gauntlets. He raises his head, red eyes glowing bright. Generally, this would be very frightening but in Garreg Mach, only one man would dress so ghastly. Why Jeritza felt the need to dress up like the Death Knight for this though is beyond Edelgard.

“ _Bernadetta, I’m sorry that I —_ ” he looks up and freezes, face just hanging in place for a moment. He slips the scythe into the fold of his elbow and presses his two index fingers together. _“ — are you two…?”_

Bernadetta giggles. “Yeah.”

_“Ooh, because of the blood packets?”_

Bernadetta frowns, a cute line of frustrating knitting her head. “I guess?”

Jeritza pumps a fist into the air. “ _A rousing success!_ ”

Edelgard rolls her eyes; she’ll never understand her friends. She looks to Bernadetta to say something when the girl hops off the ledge, but not before patting Edelgard on the rear. Bernadetta walks away, those greedy hands clutched behind her rear. She skips away, giving a parting glance to Edelgard before slipping away.

“See you later… _cutie_. Hee hee.”

Edelgard smiles. This will be quite lovely.

**Author's Note:**

> You can [follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAmLordMeatwad) for tweets about my cats and fanfic, and [follow me on Insta](https://www.instagram.com/katrinajagelski/) for similar stuff. Occasionally I do live reads for my original fiction and fanfic.


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